Visiting Day
by Geek The Girl
Summary: It's easy to be a person's friend when they're in a coma. Set before This Year's GirlWho Are You.


Willow has to trek up to the fourth floor of the hospital today. They keep moving her - two new rooms over the summer and now, as it turns to fall, another. She recognises this wing; this is where she was during the whole Angel fiasco. She gets a slight twinge in her chest, thinking of him, and resolves to maybe give him a call that night.   
  
Seeing the brightly lit nursing station down the hall, she makes her way towards it, trying to be unintrusive and not stare into rooms as she walks. She stands quietly at the counter while an obviously overworked nurse frets behind the counter. When she finally gets the nurse's attention, she asks exactly what room the Wilkins girl is in.   
  
"Room 413. Are you a friend?"   
  
"Of sorts." Willow smiles nicely. She goes to thank her but the lady is already busy doing something else. Realising that she's already passed the room, she backtracks. The door is open so she peeks her head in. It's a single room and the girl is laying as dead to the world as she was the first visit. Willow walks in, pulling a chair alongside the hospital bed. She sits there for a few minutes before noticing that a patch of brown hair is sticking up. Reaching up to smooth it back down, she swears that she saw a twitch.   
  
She shakes her head, realising that it's probably just her overactive imagination. If Faith hadn't woken up by now, another visit from her wasn't going to bring miracles. Willow sighs, pushing a loose strand of red hair back behind her ear.   
  
"Hi. It's me again," she begins. "You've got a new room. Nice view of the courtyard from up here, if I remember right. If you wake up, you'd be able to see it before the leaves begin to change. It's been raining for the past few days. Not my fault, I swear. Tropical storm system or something. It's been rather gloomy around Sunnydale. I bet you'd like that."   
  
"Angel has his own detective agency in LA now. Cordelia works for him. How bizarre is that!" Willow laughs. "I told him he was pushing the redemption card a little bit with that, but he has faith that she actually has clerical skills."   
  
She pauses. "Buffy broke up with that boy I told you about last time. She's scoping out our TA. I think I told you about him last time, Riley? He's a nice guy - rumour is that he grew up on a farm back in Iowa or something. From Angel to a farmboy in less than a year ... it's all rather odd. But Buffy's always been odd."   
  
"Xander has a new girlfriend. You'd definitely like her. Used to be a demon. Hasn't tried to kill him yet. Though she did try to kill me last year. Guess that makes you two even or something."   
  
She sits there quietly again, unsure of what to do. The first couple of times she had visited she had yelled and cursed and threw all of her frustrations out and now there was a void where Faith was concerned. She wasn't angry so much anymore. Rather she felt somewhat sorry for Faith, not that she'd ever tell anyone that though.   
  
Looking over, Willow notices that Faith's nails are coloured a rather appropriate shade of blood red, most likely by a candy striper. She touches Faith's hand softly, gobsmacked on how cool it is.   
  
"I can't stay here."   
  
"Huh?" Willow turns back towards the door, except it's not there anymore. Turning back around, she realises that she's not there anymore either. This is new. "Where am I?"   
  
"Oh, you're still in Sunnydale, Red." Faith leans off a wall. "We're just taking a detour."   
  
"Faith. Did you wake up?" Willow shakes her head. "You couldn't have. What is going on?"   
  
"Like I said, we're taking a little detour. Into your head. Or my head, if you want to get all geeky on me."   
  
"Telepathy?"   
  
"Sort of. One of the perks of being unconscious, I guess." Faith cracks her knuckles. "Visiting me again? I didn't know you cared."   
  
"Well, I- I thought you might be lonely." Willow kicks herself mentally at the lame excuse. "Do you mind me coming to visit? I can stop if you want."   
  
"Don't worry. I won't be here much longer."   
  
"You're not going to die, are you?"   
  
"I've got big party plans for when I wake up. I wouldn't miss that for the world."   
  
"Oh." Willow is confused, but no more than by the whole situation.   
  
"It's bright out today. I could probably use the tan." The Slayer walks over to the window, looking out over the street below. "You better get back. Before someone misses you."   
  
"Will you be okay?"   
  
"I'll always be five by five, Red. Don't need anyone to worry about me." She pauses, as her hand touches the window. "Bang, bang."   
  
Willow turns back around. "What?"   
  
Faith hasn't even turned back around to look at her. "Gonna go out with a bang."   
  
"All right." The redhead scrunches her nose. "Take care, Faith." 


End file.
